Hornet Problem?

About Hornets

There are about twenty different species of hornets, the majority of which come from Melbourne Beach Opossum Removalthe tropical areas of Asia. There is also a European hornet, which prefers more temperate locations. The European variety was accidentally brought to North America and is now found throughout the eastern countries.

Hornets are actually an assortment of wasp. To know if you are handling a hornet, you will want to check out the vertex. This is the part of its head that’s behind the eyes. A hornet has a larger vertex than other vespines. A hornet or wasp is not as “hairy” as a bee, and generally is a little larger. It’s in fact pretty difficult to tell what insect you’re handling unless you get quite close, and most people prefer to stay back. The fantastic news is that hornets have a tendency to attack other insects rather than hanging out where individuals can encounter them.

Hornets, particularly the European colonies, have a horrible reputation. Many people think that they’re dangerous and mean, but this is really not true. Hornet stings aren’t any more harmful than wasp stings. Furthermore, they are generally less competitive than wasps. The only time they become aggressive is when they are provoked or their nest is in danger.

Hornet Nests

Hornets NestSo how can you determine a hornet’s nest to be certain you stay far away? Nests are an integral part of the life cycle. The queen, who’s a fertilized female, begins the nest in the spring. She finds a good location that’s sheltered, including a tree trunk or a bush. She will construct the first cell of the nest from chewed bark. Cells are built in layers which are called combs. The queen lays an egg into each cell. Later, the larva will spin a silk coating on top of the cell, shutting it off. The larva will subsequently undergo metamorphosis and transform into an adult hornet. Once she’s an adult, she will eat through the silk cap. All these first hornets will be females. They will then take over each the queen’s duties, such as building the nest and finding food. New combs are made by this first generation, as well as an outside envelope which is constructed around the cell layers. Eventually the whole nest becomes covered. A finished nest is large, gray and seems to be made out of paper though it’s actually chewed bark and spit. Once the nest is completed, the queen will also produce drones, which are male hornets. Their sole job is to go on mating flights in mid-autumn. After they mate, they die. By late autumn, the majority of the workers and queens have also died. It is only the fertilized queen that can live through the winter.

The ideal time to assemble a nest for display is in late fall or winter since the hornets that used to live there have now all died. The nests are often destroyed quickly by nature, so in case you want one, it is ideal to collect it as early as possible. 1 method to remove a nest without destroying it is to slide a large plastic bag around it as gently as possible. You’ll want to do it rapidly and you should try not to disturb the nest at all. The best time to do so is at the middle of the night when it is the coldest because the hornets will be active. As soon as you have gotten the nest in the bag, tie it shut. If it’s attached to a tree branch, then you will want to tie it over the tree branch, and then cut the branch off.